Stereoselective syntheses of isomers of 3,7-dimethylnonadecane, a sex pheromone of the alfalfa blotch leafminer (Agromyza frontella (Rondani))

Two related stereoselective syntheses of 3,7-dimethylnonadecane, a sex pheromone of the alfalfa leafminer, are described to show that pulegone can serve as a useful starting material for the preparation of chiral aliphatic isoprenoid compounds. The schemes are designed to place the stereogenic center of pulegone at C.3 in one synthesis and at C.7 in the other so that the optical properties of the products can be compared with one another and with the values calculated using Brewster's rules. Key words: chiral hydrocarbons, stereoselective synthesis, pheromone, Agromyza frontella.